BALTIMORE (January 9, 2013) – The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has been informed that on January 8, 2013, at approximately 8:00 p.m., a patient was found unresponsive at the Regional Institute for Children and Adolescents-Baltimore. The patient was immediately transferred to a local hospital, where the patient was pronounced dead at 8:50 p.m.

The circumstances surrounding the patient’s death indicate possible suicide. The medical examiner’s investigation is still ongoing, and there has not yet been a determination as to a cause of death.

As mandated by state law, the Department promptly notified the patient’s legal guardian, local law enforcement and other state agencies about the death, and a thorough investigation is underway. The Mental Health Administration has also deployed additional staff to the facility so that both facility staff and patients are receiving adequate supportive services.

The name of the patient will not be released because it is confidential medical information. Further information will be made available to the public once the investigations are complete.